Bror, Per, Anders and Fanny were privileged children. They grew up in a financially secure and socially protected environment. Their parents’ social circle consisted of state- and government officials and artists, and having your portrait or family photo taken regularly was common.
Still, mom and dad must have been quite proud bringing their four children to the Borgen Photo Studio this particular day: two charmers, one skeptic and one not quite sure what to expect. They were all dressed in the fashionable children’s attire: the white sailor suit. The white suit was superior to the blue sailor suit, which also was popular.
On the photo, Fanny wears her dress with matching socks, Andres wears knee pants like Crown Prince Olav, Per only has a sailor suit shirt, and little Ivar’s sailor suit is for the time being consists only of a collar. But the impression of all dressed in sailor suits is there, and the family’s social status is clearly communicated. What might the children be dressed in next summer when they go back to the photographer?
Later in life, Fanny studied art and languages. She married a Scottish painter and settled in Scotland. Anders never reached adult age. Just two years after this photo was taken, the young boy died. Per, or Pelle as he later was called, emigrated and settled in America for the rest of his life. He married three times and had one child. Bror stayed in Norway. Of the four siblings in the photo, he was the only one leaving behind a large family. He named his oldest son after his big brother, Anders Frithiof.